At least 1,300 Filipinos have signed a petition letter asking Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to bring back to Canada the smuggled shipment of hazardous waste that have been rotting in Manila and Subic ports.
“We would never allow our country to be treated as Canada’s dumpsite,” said the petitioners, mostly students from Manila’s universities and colleges, in their urgent appeal signed during the 2nd Zero Waste Fair held on Jan. 30-31 at the Rizal Park in Manila.
The event, highlighting the government-proclaimed observance of the Zero Waste Month, was organized by environmental groups led by Ecowaste Coalition, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Health Care Without Harm Asia and Mother Earth Foundation.
“Our government officials, our legislators, our environmental, labor and church leaders and our fellow citizens, as well as the media, have spoken against the shameless dumping scandal, emphasizing in clear and strong terms that the Philippines is not a global landfill and that Canada has no option but to take its garbage back,” the petitioners reminded Trudeau.
Ecowaste Coalition last year urged the Canadian government to take back the illegally-shipped 50 40-foot container vans of hazardous waste abandoned at the Manila International Container Port.
The shipments—which were labeled as recyclable plastics—arrived in batches from Canada between July and August of 2013.
Customs officials said the shipper—Chronic Inc.—based at 95 Regency Crescent Whtby, Ontario, Canada—declared the shipment in its import document as plastic scraps.